


A Salarian's Best Friend

by TheNerdCommander



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 03:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19782304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNerdCommander/pseuds/TheNerdCommander
Summary: Former STG operative Inik Haeji encounters two curious APEX soldiers on the hunt for kett.





	A Salarian's Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt given by an anonymous user: Idk anything about mass effect but how about: Inik Haeji + best friend, large gun, "Oops" 
> 
> Thanks to BronzeAgeLove for beta reading ^u^

_ One… _

A slender finger pressed on the trigger and held it. Trained. Patient. Steady hands kept the shotgun’s aim on its target.

_ Two… _

Dark eyes sized up the large bony creature ahead of them, unafraid in spite of the danger it posed. The closer it came, the closer came death, and the more excited the salarian behind the weapon grew in turn.

_ Three… _

He eased off the trigger.

_BOOM!_

The charged shot from Inik’s Venom hit its mark and detonated. Five smaller bomblets scattered and popped around the feet of the remaining kett. Brownish green blood coated the ground, grass littered with huge chunks of Fiend. The bodies of several Chosen and their Wraiths lay deceased and unmoving, visibly scorched and...mostly intact. Sort of. He couldn’t help but to admire the carnage as he proudly brought his shotgun up to rest on his shoulder. They never let him do shit like this back in the STG. A shame, really. He was getting really good at it.

“Ugh!” A grunt of disgust sounded from nearby. “You got kett guts all over my new uniform!”

His attention snapped toward the voice, staring two figures down as they pushed their way out of the brush. Humans. Female. Both sporting APEX armor and carrying Initiative-issued firearms. One held her hands up where he could see that she wasn’t a threat while the other, covered in green goop, stomped up beside her companion arms crossed and visibly seething. She eyed him up and down, as though assessing how much of a challenge he’d be in a fight. Her partner put a hand on her shoulder and spoke up before she could get them into trouble.

“Sir? I’m...we’re with APEX. Sorry we startled you and, uh, sorry about Nora. This is her first mission. She’s a little...on edge, I think.” She gave the other woman a pat, earning herself a sharp glare.

He found the display rather unimpressive, so he held his stare. Cold. Blank. Uncaring. This seemed to put Nora off, and she quickly straightened up. Sort of. Just enough not to appear totally hostile.

“Kandros sent us to take care of...well…” she gestured to the mess behind him, “them. You stole our kills.”

There was a long pause. Empty staring. Then an indifferent shrug. “Oops.”

Nora’s eyes narrowed, caught in a deadlock on his. His sarcasm had not been lost on her. One corner of his mouth twitched into a faint lopsided smile. Usually humans were easy to intimidate, yet this one seemed to think of his act as...a challenge? Or perhaps she was offended by his behavior. It was difficult to tell. Humans weren’t as straightforward in expression as the elcor or as easy to read as the krogan. Either way, the reaction was more than satisfactory. He was starting to like this one.

A brief moment passed before the other woman cleared her throat to break the tension, then pointed to his gun. “So, uh...I’ve never seen a weapon like that. What is it? Kett?”

For the first time since they appeared, Inik blinked in her direction.

“My best friend.”

“Well, that doesn’t tell me much. You just took out an entire kett squad in one shot. The stuff the Initiative gave us can’t do that. So what exactly is it?”

Another blink. Slowly this time. A little  _ too _ slowly. Then he held the Venom up so she could see it. “Shotgun. Salarian design. You’ll probably see more when more colonists are revived from the Paarchero. Ask one of them if you want the details or schematics. She and I go way back. Prefer to keep all her secrets with me. You understand.”

“I, uh...yes, sir. I understand. Sir.”

“He’s fucking with you, Annabel,” Nora chided, glaring daggers straight into his skull. “You stole our job, frog man. You owe us. At least answer her question.”

A sly grin crept onto his face, eye contact with the other woman -- Annabel -- remaining unbroken. “Since I like your friend here, I’ll tell you what.” He pulled up the interface on his omnitool and began tapping away. “Next time you’re on the Nexus? Meet me at Vortex. I’ll tell you everything about her over drinks.” His eyes flicked over to Nora. “I’d like for you to come too. She may need more help calling out my varrenshit.” With a wink and the tap of the interface, he sent them his contact info.

“Oh! Uh-um...thank you, sir. But, uh...you never gave us your name. We don’t know who you are.”

Nora rolled her eyes. “It’s on your omni, Anna.”

“O-oh! Right!” She pulled up the contact and read it over. “Thank you, si- errrrr...mister Haeji.”

“Call me Inik,” he nodded farewell to them both. “Hope to see you both again soon.”


End file.
